The Southern herald., 1887-06-18
AMONG THE LOGGERS.
The Excitement and Danger Of
Their Rugged Life.
A sssIossback" Teamster Relates His Ex"
perience and Triumph-A Brave
Workman Crushed to Death
Under Mass Of Logs.

'The spring Of $780," said a young
physician, found me in Michigan
without employment and without mon
ey. Ihad come out from Maine to Da-
kota early in the previous year and had
taken up farm, at the urgent solicita-
tion Of friend who had immigrated
thither some years before. He had
been successful, and already owned his
farm, some stock. a comfortable sod
house, and many children.
'But my first year was one of general
disaster. First, an extensive fire de-
stroyed nearly all our crops, and then
the winter following was particularly
severe, and man and beast suffered
from both cold and hunger. A large
part of the stock died, whole families
were sick, and Encouragement was the
ruling sentiment.
even my sanguine friend began to
lose heart. AS for myself, Twas thor
oughly homesick, and in the spring l
threw up my claim, and started toward
the East.
But the state Of my finances was so
low, that on reaching Michigan was
forced to stop and hire out with farm
or for six months, promising myself
that would return to Maine as soon
as my contract expired, and resume the
study Of medicine which had been in
terrupted by family misfortunes. 1t
had been the profit / expected to get
out of my farm, and the means of fin
ishing my course Of study, that had al
lured me to the West
Having been brought up on farm,
the summers work was neither dis
tasteful nor irksome, and the time
slipped away very quickly and pleas
antly. At end of six months l re-
ceived, with my wages, the offer of
work through the winter if would
stay. But there were several young
men of my acquaintance in the town
fitting out to go into the pine loggings
that winter, in the northwest part of
the State, and as the pay was good l
resolved to put off my return to the
East yet little longer, and increase
my savings.
Thus winter found me among the
loggers of Northwestern Michigan.
There were about forty-fve men in
camp, Swedes, Germans, Scotch and
Yankees. The crew was divided into
small gangs of cutters, sawyers,
swampers. skidders, teamsters and
cooks--one cutter, two sawyers, q
swamper two skidders and one team
ster to gang. The cutters business
was to go through thewoods and select
the trees-the best pines are always
taken frst-and notch them for the
sawyers, who fell them with cross-cut
SAWS. The cutter then trims the trees
and measures the logs for the sawyers
to cut Off The swamper with a pair
of horses drags the logs to the skid
ways. The skidders pile them up in
huge, barn-shaped piles, twenty or
thirty feet high. and load them upon
the big sleighs, or sleds, which the
teamster drives back and forth to the
river landings.
sThe sideways were solid bottoms,
or foundations, prepared to receive the
logs at convenient distances all along
the main road to the river. The
lnmberman must have good, solid
road, or he can accomplish but little,
Accordingly, in laying out the route
the hills are avoided. and the road
runs through tho low and otter
swampy land. Then it must be frozer
solid, and made smooth, hard and icy.
For this purpose the surface il
sometimes sprinkled copiously will
water. both in the early winter and il
the spring, after the snow has partial
b melted. Indeed, many lumbermer
assert that they can do more work
and do It more easily, with no snow
ct all. the ice roads being better.
when the road is ready the rea
work Of the logging season begins
and the woods resound to the sharp
quick blows of the axe, the humming
Of the saw, the crashing Of trees, tn
ereaking Of the great sleighs, th'
shouts and wild halloos Of the team
ssers It is a busy time indeed. WorI
begins in the morning two hours be
fore daylight, when the teamsters lool
after and feed their horses--great pa
tient creatures, pair Of which car
move OF easily over the icy roads witt
loads almost as big as small house
and ends only when tits to lark to SCI
clearly. and that time comes early il
the dense pine woods.
srhis Is all very wen wheu III
weather Is mild, but when the nier
eafy marks fifteen Or more legrees be
~ zero. ones hoid becona fanarka